Circular-knitting machine



(No Model.)

' ZSheets-Sheet 1.. J P. MULDOON. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE. No. 392,449.! A Patented Nov. 6, 1888..

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(N0 Mode l.) 2Shets-Sheet 2. J. MUL'DOO'N.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

N0. 392,449 I Patented NOV. 63-18-88.

Nlv 1 III,

UNITED STATES PATENT (drums.

JOHN F. MULDOON, OF WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,449, dated November 6,1888.

Serial No. 246,022. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. MULDOON, of Waltham, in the county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Circular-Knitting Machines, of which the following is a description sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which said invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved presser-wheel mechanism, the wheel being represented in its normal position; Fig. 2, a vertical transverse section taken on the .line 00 a; in Fig. 3, the wheel being shown as in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a vertical transverse section taken on the line y y in Fig. 2; Figs. 4, 5, and 6, enlarged views showing the escapcment mechanism; Fig. 7, a side elevation showing the wheel withdrawn, certain parts being repre sented in section and others as removed or broken away; Fig. 8, an enlarged view of the locking mechanism, and Fig. 9 an enlarged sectional longitudinal section of the shaft.

Like letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in the drawings.

In circular-knitting machines having springneedles and which are provided with presserwheels for closing the needles to enable them to shed their loops at the proper time, if a thread breaks and the loops continue to be dropped without new ones being formed to take their places a defect will be produced in the work which it is sometimes difficult to remedy, to say nothing of the loss of time which necessarily results. therefrom.

My invention is designed to obviate this difficulty or objection, and to that end I make use of means which will be readily understood by all conversant with such matters from the following explanation.

In the drawings, A represents the presserwheel, and B a portion of the head of the machine, it not being deemed essential to show the same fully in order to illustrate the improvement. The wheel A is of the ordinary form and construction, and is journaled horizontally in the head a of the rod 0-. A bracket,

D, having a cross-head, b, which is bored longitudinally through its center, is secured to the frame (not shown) of the machine by the bolt d, the rod C being fitted to slide horizontally in one arm of said head. A thimble, E, is fitted to slide on the opposite arm of said head,said thimble being provided with a chambered projection, f, on its lower side and with a flat spring, 9, having a hook, h, on its upper side. The rod 0 is reduced and extended at its inner end, as at F, and projects through a hole in the outer end of the thimble E, being screw-threaded at its outer end and provided with a nut, i, and check-nutj.

A coiled spring, 70, as shown in Fig. 7, is disposed around the extension F of the rod 0 within the cross-head b,one end of said spring abutting against a shoulder (not shown) within said head and the other against the end of said thimble, the spring acting expansively to force the thimble outward or away from the wheel A and to keep the head a of the rod 0 in forcible contact'with the head b. A horizontally-arranged guide-rod, Z, is secured to the bracket D and extends through the chamber in the projection f, said rod being fitted to work in a hole, m, in the outer end of said projection.

Disposed around the rod Z there is a coiled spring, a, one end of which abuts against the side of the bracket D and the other against the end wall within the chamber of the projection f, said spring acting expansively and as an auxiliary to the spring in forcing the thimble E outward, the rod Z keeping said spring from turning on the head I). p

A bracket, H, is secured to the upper portion of the bracket D by the screw 19, said bracket being provided with an overhanging arm, q, and protection 1', a bell, J, being mounted on said projection and secured by the screw it. Pivoted horizontally in the arm q and body of the bracket H there is a shaft, K, provided with a longitudinal groove, '0, and with a downwardly-projecting rod, w, having a centrally-disposed hammer or striker, 14, adapted to strike the bell J when said shaft is partially rotated to swing the rod through Projecting horizontally from the side of the bracket D there are two short arms, 15, and journaled horizontally in said arms there is a cylinder, 16, provided peripherally with annular flanges l7 and 18, between which the lower end of the rod 20 is inserted, a portion of the flange 17 being removed, as shown at 19, to permit the escape of said rod when the thread breaks. A bent rod, 20, provided with a hook, 21, at its outer end, has its inner end secured to the cylinder 16, said rod being heavy enough to turn said cylinder when dropped by the breaking of the thread 22, as hereinafter described.

In the use of my improvement the rod 10 is depressed and its lower end placed between the flanges 17 and 18 of the cylinder 16, the hook 21 of the rod 20 being at the same time placed on the thread or yarn 22, which, it will be understood, leads from a spool or bobbin to the needles of the machine in the usual manner. The rod (1 is then withdrawn until the hook it on the spring 9 engages the groove 1) in the shaft K and detachably locks said rod in its withdrawn position, after which the bracket 1) is secured on the frame by the bolt (i in such position that the wheel A presses properly against the needles. The parts bcin g in the positions described, if new the thread or yarn 22 accidentally breaks, the rod 20 will drop, thereby partially revolving the cylinder 16 and bringing the opening 19 in the flange 17 of said cylinder opposite the lower end of the rod :0. The springs n 7.: acting expansively on the thimble it to force said thimble and the spring 1 outward, and the hook I: of said spring being engaged with the groove 2) of the shaft K, it will be obvious that when thc-cy1- inder 16 is revolved by the gravitating rod 20, as described, and the lower end of the rod w is brought opposite the opening 19 in the flange 1 Lsaid rod in will escape through said opening, thereby releasing the springs a 7; and permitting them to instantly withdraw the wheel A. from the needles. \Vhen the lower end of the rod in escapes from the flange 17, as' described, the shaft K will be partially revolved with great speed as the spring 5 moves outward, thereby causing said rod to pass upward through the arc of a circle, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, and the hammer 14 to strike the bell J' and notify the workman or call his attention to the breakage of the thread or yarn.

It will be understood that when the wheel A is suddenly withdrawn from the needles, as described, their springs or latches will not thereafter be closed, and hence that the loops cannot escape therefrom to the injury of the work, as is the case when the wheel is not withdrawn and the needles continue to opcrate.

I do not confine myself to journaling the wheel A in such manner as to cause it to rotate at all times in a horizontal plane, as it may be arranged to rotate in any desired plane, or to the use of a wheel for closing the springs or latches of the needles, as a presser finger or plate may be mounted on the rod G and used for that purpose. Neither do I confine myself to the use of the precise escapemcnt mechanism or retainer described, as any equivalent device for automatically releasing the retracting-spring when the thread or yarn breaks may be employed; nor to the use of a bell for giving an alarm, as any equivalent alarm may be employed; nor to the use of the flange 18 on the cylinder 16, as the same may be omitted, if desired.

Having thus explained my invention, what I claim is- 1. The oscillating grooved shaft K, a spring catch, engaging the groove therein, a movable support for said spring-catch, and a spring for moving said support, in combination with an alarm, a rod, 10, iixed at one end to said shaft and carrying astriker, 14-, adapted to sound said alarm, a retainer for holding said rod in normal position, said retainer being provided with a wire, 20, resting on the yarn and adapted to trip the free end of said rod in, substantially as described.

2. The oscillating grooved shaft K, a springcatch, engaging the groove therein, a movable support for said springcatch, and a spring for moving said support, in combina tion with an alarm, a rod, 11;, fixed at one end to said shaft and carryinga striker, 1 1-, adapted to sound said alarm, a cylinder, 16, a flange, 17, thereon engaging the free end of said rod in, said flange having an opening, 19, and a wire, 20, projecting from said cylinder and resting on the yarn, substantially as described.

3. The rod (J, provided with the extension F, spring 7;, and nut i, the wheel A, journaled on an axis supported by the rod 0, the thimblc E, provided with the spring-catch g, the shaft K, provided with the groove 1; and rod in, and the cylinder 16, provided with the rod 24) and flange 17, having the opening 19, combined and arranged to operate substantially as described.

4.. The combination of a bracket, a sliding rod therein, a presser -whecl on said rod, a thimble on an extension of said rod provided with a chambered projection, a guide-rod attached to said bracket and extending through the chambered projection, springs around said extension, and guide-rods for actuating said sliding rod, a catch on said thimble, a slotted shaft for engaging and releasing said catch, and mechanism for releasing said slotted shaft on the breaking of a thread, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a bracket provided with a tubular head, b, a sliding rod, 0, extending through and fitting within one arm of said head, a presser-wheel, A, mounted in said rod 0 at right angles thereto, a reduced and threaded extension, F, of said rod 0 fitting loosely in the other arm of said head, a thimble on said extension sliding on said head,

a nut on said extension outside the thimble, bracket and adapted to, engage and" release 10 and a coiled spring thereon inside the thimsaid spring-catch, and mechanism for releasble acting expansively between a shoulder of ing said slotted shaft on the breaking of a the head and the end of the thimbie, a chamthread.

ered projection on said thimble, a guide-rod on said bracket extending through said cham- JOHN MULDOON' bered projection, an auxiliary expansive coiled l Witnesses: spring on said guiderod, a spring-catch on O. A. SHAW, said thimble, a slotted shaft journaled in said O. M. SHAW. 

